McLean, VA (October 14, 2025) - Lt. Joseph Petrosino wasn’t just a New York City police officer—he was a trailblazer. Born in Italy, he immigrated to America as a child. He became the first Italian-speaking officer in the department’s history, and he quickly rose through the ranks. He founded the NYPD’s famed Italian Squad, a unit dedicated to investigating the Mano Nera, or Black Hand, a notorious extortion racket that operated primarily in Italian-American communities. Under his leadership, the squad cut Italian mafia crime by nearly 50 percent. On March 12, 1909, while on a secret mission in Palermo, Italy, he was assassinated by the criminals who feared him. His funeral in New York City drew more than 250,000 mourners. His methods—surveillance, undercover work, intelligence gathering—became the blueprint for modern policing. Joseph Petrosino is thought to be the first Italian-American police officer ever to die in the line of duty, and the only NYPD officer to be killed on foreign soil. Listen to the podcast to learn more.
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